Bending tool



Oct. 25, 1960 J. c. JAMES, JR

BENDING TOOL Filed Jan. 4, 1957 INVENTOR JAMES CHARLES JAMES JR.

I BYW/ ATTORNEY 2,957,499 BEND'ING Toot.

James Cldaines; n1; Aurora; Illf, assigiior to Masonite CorporatromLaurel; Misst, a=corporation of Delaware Filed'-Jan.- 4,-1957, Ser. No. 632,501 r 4 Claims: (Grins- :125)

Thepresent' inventionrelates to handto'ols and relates m'ore' particularly to r a 7 novel toolfor' bending metal wire.

Injrec'ent' years, fabricators of metal, plywood, and hardbo'ard panels have developed perforated panels adapted to support manydiiferenttypesof articles for display purposes; workshop use, and the like. lnvariably, metal'wir'e' fixtures are"anchored to 'thepanels by means of substantially "Z shaped bends which enable portions 'of quently a specially shaped fixture which is not commercially available is required.

One of the-primary objects of the present inventionis the provision-0f a hand tool adapted to bend metalwire so' as to fabricate fixtures to be used With perforated metal and/or hardboard panels.

Another object'resides in the provision of a wire-bending .hand tool which will enable the user to uniformly reprbducethe substantiallyZ shapedbefrds which serve to anchor the wire fixtures to the perforated panels.

A further object is the provision of a simple hand tool, easily employed, and economical to produce which is adapted for the home fabrication of such metal wire fixtures.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is particularly directed to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the novel wire-bending tool,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the outer side of one of the dies of the tool with the handle portion broken away,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inner side of the other die of the tool with the handle portion broken away,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a piece of wire bent with the tool, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the tool with the handles broken away.

In the drawing, two levers each comprising die portions 2 and 4 and handle portions 6 and 8, respectively, are preferably made of forged steel in the usual manner so that the handles are coplanar when the levers are pivoted, or articulated, by means of the conventional pivot 10. The adjacent faces of the dies 2 and 4 lie in substantially parallel planes which are perpendicular to the axis of the pivot 10. The pivot 10 is shown in Fig. 5 as comprising a bolt 12 and nut 14 although, obviously, the pivot may comprise a rivet or other ordinary pivoting means.

It will be seen that a jaw portion 16 projects perpendicularly from the one die portion 2. The jaw por- 2,957,499 Patented Oct. 25, 1960 tion '16 is coplanar with a similar jaw portion 18 of th e other die 4 so that as the levers are pivoted, thejaw portions 16 and 18 are caused to-converge' and vice versa in' the' ordinary manner; Asthe jaw portions-converge, the die-portion 4 overlies the dieportion 2 and the jaw portions' l6 and 118 meet ingripping positiori. Each of the jaw' portions 16 and 18 has'a centrally located'semicirculargroove 17 and 19,'respectively, ex tending therethrough at its gripping surfaceytli'e grooves being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the jaws. A substantially semicircular groove 20 also extends from a point' of juncture with the" groove 17 'of the jaw portion 16 laterally across the face of the-die portion 2 to the-edge thereof. The groove"20increases in cross sectional area as it approaches the'di'e'edge and, as illustrated in-Figs. 1 and 5, is sloped toward the rear surface'of'the die portion 2. Upon convergenceof'the die portions and'rneeting'of the'jaw portions, therefore, a substantially L-shaped enclosed channel is provided in the tool.

In using the novel hand tool, a suitable piece'of metal Wire such as, forexam'ple, aluminum wire, is laid across the dies 2 and wand-positioned so that it lies against the "groove of the jaw portion 16 and extends into and slightly beyond the groove 20. Upon pivoting the levers so as to cause" the'jawportions to converge; the -metal wire is drawn into'the' groove 20 beneath the face of the die portion 4. Upon'convergenceof-the jaw-portions 16 and 18, the wire has been bent intosubstantially L-shape. Thereupon 'the ext'endin'g portion" of the Wire isrnanuallybent atright' angle to the L-shaped bend so as'to formthe Z-shaped'bend illustrated by Fig. 4.

It is necessary thatthe groove 20 increases in" cross sectional area asitapproaches the die edge in order to insure relatively freemovement ofthe wire as it is drawn int'otheL-shaped' channel; Similarly, the slope of the channel 20 at the'die'edge prevents nicking and sloughing of the 'Wireduring the"ben'ding thereof? Upon release from the dies, thewire may conveniently be cut by inserting the unbent portion through the cutting holes 22 and 24 provided in the die portions 2 and 4, respectively, and pivoting the levers. Of course, if Working with a long length or coil of wire the wire may be pre-cut in the same manner, but ordinarily, it is more desirable to first obtain the Z-shaped bend, then determine how much additional wire is required for the fixture, and finally to cut the wire as described.

In using the wire fixture, the portion 26, shown in Fig. 4, is inserted in one of the perforations in a selected sheet. The fixture is then turned so that the extending portion 28 lies against the sheet. The extending portion may terminate in any desired shape such as a loop, hook, or the like shape.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the novel wire bending tool of the invention presents a desirable means for creating any and all types of fixtures for use with perforated wall board panels. Once the anchoring Z-shaped bend has been obtained, the remainder of the fixture may be shaped according to the particular use for which the fixture is intended. The novel tool is simple in its application, economical to produce, and represents an outstanding advance in the art of manufacture of hand tools.

I claim:

1. A hand wire-bending tool comprising a pair of pivoted levers, each lever comprising a handle portion and a die portion, the adjacent faces of said dies lying in substantially parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said pivot, a jaw portion extending perpendicularly from the face of one die and being coplanar with a mating jaw portion of said other die, a semicircular groove extending through the mating surface of each of said jaw portions substantially perpendicular to the plane thereof so as to provide a circular groove when said dies are articulated to gripping position, and a substantially semicircular groove of increasing diameter in the face of the said die having the projecting jaw portion, said semicircular groove extending laterally across said die face from a junction with said jaw groove to the edge of said die to align with the semicircular groove in said other die when the latter reaches the edge of said die so as to provide in the tool when said dies are articulated to gripping position, a substantially L-shaped enclosed channel.

2. A hand wire-bending tool comprising a pair of pivoted levers, each lever comprising a handle portion and a die portion, the adjacent faces of said dies lying in substantially parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said pivot with one die partially overlying the face of the other die, a jaw portion extending perpendicularly from the face of one die and being coplanar with a mating jaw portion of said other die, a semicircular groove extending through the mating surface of each of said jaw portions perpendicular to the plane thereof so as to provide a circular groove when said dies are pivoted to gripping position, and a substantially semicircular groove of increasing diameter in the face of said underlying die, said semicircular groove extending laterally across said die face from a junction with said jaw groove to the edge of said die to align with the semicircular groove in said other die when the latter reaches the edge of said die so as to provide in the tool when said dies are pivoted to gripping position, a substantially L-shaped enclosed channel.

3. A hand wire-bending tool comprising a pair of pivoted levers, each lever comprising a handle portion and a die portion, the adjacent faces of said dies lying in substantially parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said pivot, a jaw portion extending perpendicularly from the face of one die and being coplanar with a mating jaw portion of said other die, a semicircular groove extending through the mating surface of each of said jaw portions perpendicular to the plane thereof so as to provide a circular groove when said dies are articulated to gripping position, and a substantially semicircular groove in the face of the said die having the projecting jaw portion, said semicircular groove extending laterally across said die face from a junction with said jaw groove to the edge of said die and increasing in cross sectional area as it approaches the die edge to align with the semicircular groove in said other die when the latter reaches the edge of said die so as to provide in the tool when said dies are articulated to gripping position, a substantially L-shaped enclosed channel.

4. A hand wire-bending tool comprising a pair of pivoted levers, each lever comprising a handle portion and a die portion, the adjacent faces of said dies lying in substantially parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said pivot with one die partially overlying the face of the other die, a jaw portion extending perpendicularly from the face of one die and being coplanar with a mating jaw portion of said other die, a semicircular groove extending through the mating surface of each of said jaw portions perpendicular to the plane thereof so as to provide a circular groove when said dies are pivoted to gripping position, and a substantially semicircular groove in the face of said die containing said perpendicularly extending jaw portion, said semicircular groove extending laterally across said die face from a junction with said jaw groove to the edge of said die and increasing in cross sectional area as it approaches the die edge to align with the semicircular groove in said other die when the latter reaches the edge of said die so as to provide in the tool when said dies are pivoted to gripping position, a substantially L-shaped enclosed channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 782,546 Christiansen Feb. 14, 1905 1,206,449 Linquist Nov. 28, 1916 1,428,344 Scouler Sept. 5, 1922 2,637,231 Schopp May 5, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 996 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1909 

